Anyone who has fed an infant or had the opportunity to observe a baby eat knows all too well the difficult task of getting food into the child""s mouth. Quite often, the goal in feeding an infant is simply to get more food into his or her mouth than on the child and surrounding eating area. Food, almost inevitably then, finds its way onto the child""s clothes which can soil and permanently stain the clothing. Bibs, therefore, are often used to minimize the scattering of food and to protect the child""s clothing from food stains.
Conventional bibs are formed from cloth or other absorbent material and typically have two strings which tie around the child""s neck to hold the bid in place. Other bibs are formed from plastic and use snaps, ties, strings, hook and loop fasteners, or the like to attach around the child""s neck. More recently, some bibs have eliminated the strings and ties altogether and have instead used adhesive strips. These strips are located near the shoulder area on the backside of the bib and are used to adhere the bib to the wearer.
Particularly with younger children and infants, the bibs heretofore known in the art have not always adequately kept food and other stains from reaching the child""s clothing. One common problem encountered with feeding infants, in particular, is keeping the bib on the front of the child in an orientation which actually protects the clothing. This task is not always that simple. Infants almost instinctively tend to put everything in their mouth. Often, then, the first thing an infant wants to do is remove the bib from its useful location to his or her mouth. In other instances, the infant or child simply may not want to wear the bib and attempt to move it. Even children capable of feeding themselves may, after determining they are finished, reach down to prematurely remove their bib. The removal of the bib, however, may occur before the child""s hands, face, and eating area have been cleaned. In other instances, the bib may accidentally catch on the child""s hand or otherwise lift up and expose the child""s clothing to food. In these situations, an extra hand for a parent, baby sitter, or care taker faced with the responsibility of holding the bib down with one hand and feeding the child with the other would be helpful. Since such added help, or extra hands, are typically not available, food often ends up on the infant and the infant""s clothes despite the bib.
Another prior encountered problem is that many bibs are unable to effectively and completely prevent food and saliva from staining the infant""s cloths near the neck region. infants, for example, cannot easily control salivation, and it is not uncommon for food and saliva to run down their cheek to their clothes through openings in the neck portion of the bib. Many bibs use strings, ties, straps, or the like to fasten around the baby""s neck. In order to assure a comfortable fit, however, the bib must be fastened somewhat loosely, so as not to choke the child. Inevitably then, a gap is created through which food may fall or drop. A similar problem exists with bibs that use adhesive straps to secure the bib to the infant. These bibs commonly only have adhesive at the shoulder areas. As such, food may pass through openings along the neck portions which are not directly adhered to the overlay.
Compared to children, adults are much less apt to spill or splatter food onto their clothing. Napkins, then, are typically used instead of bibs to protect clothing. However, certain foods, such as shelled lobster and spaghetti, tend to be quite messy even for adults eating with care. In these situations, a napkin may not adequately keep food off clothing. Bibs would be practical but are often not used because of the stereotype associated with wearing a bib. A bib which not only fully protects the wearer but also remains inconspicuous would be especially welcome by adult diners.
Prior bibs are either disposable or reusable. Cloth and plastic bibs, for example, may be washed or rinsed off after each use. These reusable type bibs are advantageous in that they are durable and suited for frequent re-use. These bibs are also economical since a single bib may be repeatedly washed and used. Disposable bibs, such as those made from thin thermoplastic material, are discarded after becoming soiled. These bibs are economical in that they are very inexpensive to purchase and may be disposed after one use without great cost. At present, a bib which is both reusable and disposable after being soiled would, if inexpensively manufactured, enjoy the attributes of both the disposable and reusable bibs.
In view of the foregoing, parents and care givers of infants, as well as adults, would welcome a bib which securely adheres to the wearer yet is inexpensive and is both disposable or reusable.
The present invention is directed to a self-adhering protective overlay such as a bib, apron, napkin, or the like which securely adheres to a wearer or wearer""s clothes without the addition of snaps, ties, strings, or the like. A flexible sheet is employed which has a front surface, a back surface, and a periphery. A pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) is applied to substantially all of the periphery on the back surface for adhering the flexible sheet to the wearer. Once this adhesive is adhered to the wearer, the protective overlay may not readily be removed and, as such, is particularly advantageous for use on infants and small children.
In one embodiment, a removable release sheet is adhered to the pressure sensitive adhesive prior to use for protecting against unwanted adhesion. After the release sheet is removed, the flexible sheet may be used and then re-adhered to the release sheet for subsequent use. Alternatively, once the flexible sheet is used, it may be discarded.
As an additional advantage, the protective overlay may be manufactured from a durable, lightweight material which is extremely inexpensive. Further, graphics such as designs, emblems, prints, or alpha-numeric characters may be placed or printed on the protective overlay to enhance its aesthetic value. Alternatively, the protective overlay may be transparent so that it is virtually unnoticeable when worn.
As another feature, a plurality of flexible sheets are arranged to form a protective overlay dispensing system. In this system, flexible sheets, without the addition of the release sheet, are arranged in a stack. Individual sheets may be removed from the stack, used, and re-adhered to the stack for subsequent use. In one embodiment, the flexible sheets are superimposed on one another to form a vertical stack. In another embodiment, the flexible sheets are attached at adjacent ends to form a rolled stack.
Other objects of the invention will, in part, be obvious and will appear hereinafter. The invention, accordingly, comprises the apparatus and method possessing the construction, combination of elements, and arrangements of parts which are exemplified in the following detailed disclosure. For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.